Kevyn Aucoin SSE for dry skin halp

I have got a sample of SX02 and SX04 Sensual Skin Enhancer after being color matched as a mix. I have dryer skin though I moisturize and exfoliate. Basically it ends up flaky and scaly especially on my inner cheeks no matter how thin the application and how moisturized I am. I have read through posts here and elsewhere for mediums to use. Some suggest any ol' moisturizer or primer will do. In my 10+ applications, I do not think this is appropriate for a water based medium. The dry patchy scaliness can be barely noticeable if I am very moisturized, but I can tell on close up. My ideal finish is GA Luminous Silk. I am aware that 2 full SSE are more than 1 GALS, but I am attracted to the versatility of SSE. The samples themselves would probably last me 6 mos easy. Has anyone has similar problem and found a solution? Like with any bad boyfriend, I am trying to make this work!

SSE is mineral oil based so another pure carrier oil should work well as a mixer (jojoba, primrose, maracuja which i personally use, or just plain mineral oil)

I'm curious why mixing with argan oil didnt work for you.

another usually successful method is using a beauty blender dampened and sprayed with a setting spray. (a true setting spray like mac fix + which has castor oil, uD's "setting" spray is in fact a fixing spray, it has no oils in it) dot the sse evenly all over your face and bounce the BB everywhere to blend

Thanks! The argan was better but just turn into a wet-dewy mess. I really want that subtle, lit from within dewyness. I think the texture on my nose and inner cheeks is just rougher and dryer than the rest of my face. Tbh it hasn't played nicely on all of my skin and just clings to any and all dryness. It has a weird reaction whenever it crosses over eye primer too. Pinpoint concealing at this point is a no-go until I find a good medium that works for my skin. I just realized this was mineral oil based. I have Snow River Wood Oil I will try next.

argan didnt work for me. I had a little sample. even when i applied it as skin care as the last time, it never sunk in. Maracuja for me was a different story though. that stuff sinks in within 5 minutes if used sparingly

SSE doesnt play nicely over silicone at all! its best over bare skin. unfortunately for me that is not an option. need my sunscreen, but my fav sunscreen has silicone in it. while it works great as a primer for every other foundation, it makes SSE patchy as hell. I have to spray a layer of setting spray, let that dry then apply my sse over it. it works fine over the laura mercier primer for me though

And whoa I've never heard of wood oil before. i just looked it up and saw that people use it for skin care.

Ok verdict after 2 applications: Mineral oil is working the best as far as keeping the pigment together and not flaking. But it is still high dewyness. I do a swipe of both colors on the back of hand for a combined half grain for light coverage. Its easier for me to do the mix on my hand first instead of my face, and I heard somewhere letting it warm gives it more slip. Yesterday I did two drops and it looked too wet. Today I mixed one drop of mineral oil and its better but not exact desired finish. Then I noticed I needed more coverage in certain areas so I swiped a thin layer of mineral oil on the back of my hand, then mixed my SSE. I think that is closer to the needed ratio. Pinpoint concealing is going to need even more precision on the mix bc ugh. The finish settles down somewhat after some powdering.

My fear is the mineral oil is just breaking everything down and my sunscreen under. And, as you know, I can't not have my sunscreen. I do wonder if the water in sunscreen was contributing to the flaky look because it was reacting to the SSE. Its going to take some time and but ultimately it may be too high maintenance. I don't mind the challenge but its going to get obnoxious if I can't get a quick routine down. I have only had samples so far, but the GALS may be a better choice when I am ready for that kind of purchase.

The Snow River Wood Oil is great bc is so cheap and fragrance free. I use it for my oil cleanse makeup remover. A little goes such a long way except its not very good at mascara on its own. I would feel better about a plant based oil for makeup remover but it comes in handy. The argan is working alright for me mixed with my Cerave PM, sinks on after awhile but I use at night only. I will keep maracuja in mind next time but I just forked over for this argan.

oh, i dont even use a full drop! then again i have combo oily skin with dry patches on my nose and lower cheeks. i used to stick one of those wand caps normally found in perfume bottles, dab the tip of it on my hand and that little bit would be enough to give me the slip i desire for about medium coverage. for concealing i would just use it straight out of the jar concentrated. to answer your question yes i do XD. I have full sized jars of sx03 for winter when im more pale and practically green and sx04 for summer when im a smidgen warmer, i also have a little sample jar of sx06 for a darker, warmer mixer. there is no fucking way im going to be able to use up those jars in the next year. My sx03 is barely 20% gone after 7 months and thats with TWO people using it. i was mixing it with a sample of sx06 to darken it but it was TOO golden so i got the sx04 just last month because its a more neutral yellow. its its practically new haha.

When i apply it in the morning, i'll scoop out the proportion of colors i need and i'll rub it between my fingers to warm up, add a little maracuja oil, then apply to my face. i like doing it every morning and i've got it down to where it takes me less than 30 seconds to do the while mixing process.

however for my sister, i made her a premixed little jar since she prefers liquid, i actually used the smashbox blemish control primer as a mixer in a ratio of 5mL of primer to two pea sized blobs of SSE. She tells me that she uses two layers: first layer after washing face, 5 minutes wait in between while she changes and does her hair, the second layer and powders a bit on top, she is dry skinned but oils slide right off her face and the primer as mixer works better for her. the reason why the blemish control works as a primer (despite being water based) is that it is an emulsion with squalane, an oil, so it mixes well with the SSE. (someone gave the primer to me because of my acne, and i didnt like it as it never dried down on me, but i didnt know what to do with it otherwise. throwing it away felt like a waste)

haha wow this was way too long. finding the perfect foundation really is so annoying (first world problems?). The GALS oxidized on my like a mofo, but the texture and coverage was so lovely.

snow river wood oil is now sitting in my amazon cart ~. i think i might try to add an emulsifying agent to it to make it an effective oil cleanser. my bathroom is like a mini lab haha.

Not too long, love the detail! First world-makeup nerd out is not a crime in my world. At the rate I am going, I am not even sure I will get a full jar ever and just continue to buy samples if I re-buy. The pinpoint conceal I need to work on. I have done straight from the jar and then tried to tap it down to blend. It comes right off the blemish and leaves a halo around it where the pigment is pushed out :/ So...I guess I need to stop tapping.

I think I am okay with the argan. Its a small store I got it from that maybe too much trouble. If I sample the maracuja and love it I will pass the argan on MUE.

It takes awhile for oil to sink into my face so its a good tip about the Smashbox. Awesome about your DIY. At one point I wanted to dupe a biphase eye makeup remover like Lancome. The Neutrogena one is not as good. It seemed like an investment to get the preservatives, etc if I wasn't going to DIY much else. Maybe a cold cream.

trying to find the perfect foundation, first world problems exemplified x3

if you do decide that you like it enough. you could buy some sx04 decant off of me... i'd be happy to share. no sense in it going bad because i cant use it all. i think the recommended is two years after opening

i got my 10ml bottle of maracuja for 12$ off amazon, there are cheaper bulk sources in ox amounts or higher. but i wouldn't be able to use it all. 1 year later i still have 30% left.

i would be too lazy to try a biphase or micelle diy but emulsification is easy tnough, mix the right proportion and boom, presto~